The present invention relates to a pressing terminal provided in an electrical connector which is used for an electronic control device and the like, and a terminal pressing device for pressing the pressing terminal to a shield wire.
As shown in FIG. 19, in a conventional electrical connector, a connector socket 100 includes a socket connecting portion 103 in which a socket contacting terminal or a mating terminal 101 is attached to a socket insulating housing 102. The mating pressing terminal 101 includes a mating outer conductive member 105 and a mating inner conductive member 106. The mating outer conductive member 105 includes a shield outer tube 107. The shield outer tube 107 includes a shield contact terminal 108, a piece having a tongue-like shape formed by cutting and raising a central portion of both side surfaces thereof.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, in the conventional electrical connector, a connector plug 110 includes a plug insulating housing 111 and a plug contacting terminal or a pressing terminal 112 inserted into the plug insulating housing 111. As shown in FIG. 20, the pressing terminal 112 includes an outer conductive member 114; a dielectric member 116; and an inner conductive member 113. The outer conductive member 114 includes a shield outer tube 117; a pressing tool insertion opening portion 115; and an outer conductive member pressing portion 118.
Further, the inner conductive member 113 is attached to the dielectric member 116 by forcibly inserting the inner conductive member 113 into a central conductive member pressing hole 116b (refer to FIG. 21) of the dielectric member 116. Furthermore, the dielectric member 116 is inserted into the shield outer tube 117. Thereby, the pressing terminal 112 is configured.
In the conventional electrical connector described above, as shown in FIG. 21, the dielectric member 116 is inserted into the shield outer tube 117 as an outer circumference surface 116a of the dielectric member 116 slides against an inner circumference surface 117a of the shield outer tube 117. A pressing piece 120 as a terminal barrel of a signal line pressing portion 119 of the inner conductive member 113 can be situated shifting from a center of the pressing tool insertion opening portion 115 due to a clearance between the outer circumference surface 116a of the dielectric member 116 and the inner circumference surface 117a of the shield outer tube 117.
In addition, a conventional terminal pressing device includes an anvil unit as a pressure receiving unit and a crimper unit as a pressure applying unit. The anvil unit receives the pressing terminal 112 in a specific pressing position, and the crimper unit presses and attaches the pressing terminal 112 to an end portion of the shield wire together with the anvil unit. As shown in FIG. 22, the anvil unit includes a signal line anvil 121, and the crimper unit may include a signal line crimper 122 for swaging the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 together with the signal line anvil 121.
The signal line anvil 121 includes a terminal pressing anvil portion 123, and the signal line crimper 122 includes a pair of claw portions 124 and a terminal pressing anvil insertion portion 125 between the pair of the claw portions 124, respectively. The terminal pressing anvil insertion portion 125 allows the terminal pressing anvil portion 123 to enter therein. A signal line (not shown) of the shield wire (not shown) is pressed and fixed by swaging the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 with the terminal pressing anvil portion 123 and the claw portion 124.
In addition, one of conventional terminal pressing devices is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication. The conventional terminal pressing device presses and attaches a pressing terminal situated in a connector housing of an electrical connector to an end portion (a portion including an end portion of a signal line and an end portion of an external covering) of a shield wire to which a peeling process was performed.    Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 07-335363
In Patent Reference, the connector housing of an electrical connector is a resin molding made integrally, including a bottom plate portion; a pair of side plate portions facing each other formed continuously from the bottom plate portion; and a plurality of partition plates disposed between the side plate portions with specific intervals. A terminal placing room is provided between the side plate portion and the partition plate, and between the partition plates.
Further, an anvil insertion opening portion is provided in a predetermined position of the bottom plate portion. The anvil insertion opening portion allows an anvil to insert therein, as a pressing unit. Furthermore, the pressing terminal includes a wire barrel (a pressing piece) for being pressed to attach against the end portion of the signal line of the shield wire, and an insulation barrel (a pressing piece) for being pressed to attach against an end portion of the external covering of the shield wire.
The pressing unit includes a pressure receiving portion and a pressure applying portion. The pressure receiving portion receives the pressing terminal, which is placed in the connector housing, in a specific position thereof. The pressure applying portion applies a pressure for pressing and attaching the pressing terminal to the end portion of the shield wire together with the pressure receiving portion. The pressure receiving unit includes a signal line anvil for receiving the wire barrel, and the pressure applying unit includes a signal line crimper for pressing and attaching the pressing terminal to the end portion of the shield wire in with the signal line anvil, respectively.
Moreover, the signal line crimper faces the pressing terminal in the terminal insertion room corresponding to a pressing position from an opening portion of a terminal insertion room. The signal line anvil faces the pressing terminal in the terminal insertion room corresponding to a pressing position via the anvil insertion opening portion. The signal line anvil and the signal line crimper swage the wire barrel of the pressing terminal by sandwiching the wire barrel, thereby attaching the pressing terminal to the shield wire.
As shown in FIG. 21, when the conventional pressing terminal 112 is assembled, the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 of the inner conductive member 113 can be situated shifting from the center of the pressing tool insertion opening portion 115 due to the clearance between the outer circumference surface 116a of the dielectric member 116 and the inner circumference surface 117a of the shield outer tube 117.
Therefore, it is not easy to obtain a space for a wiring process precisely. When pressing tools (the signal line anvil 121 and the signal line crimper 122) are designed so that pressing teeth (the terminal pressing anvil portion 123 and the pair of the claw portions 124) of the pressing tool and the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 do not interfere with each other, it is difficult to downsize the pressing terminal 112, resulting in enlarging dimensions of the electrical connector as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the electrical connector as a whole. Especially, when the shield wire is attached by swaging the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 of the inner conductive member 113 situated in the pressing tool insertion opening portion 115, the problem described above occurs noticeably due to a remarkably limited range which is capable of clamping the shield wire.
In addition, in the conventional terminal pressing tool or the conventional terminal pressing device shown in FIG. 22, when the signal line is attached, a force is applied to the pair of the claw portion 124 of the signal line crimper 122 so as to open in a direction shown with arrows in FIG. 23, since the signal line is pressed and attached by swaging the pressing piece 120 of the signal line pressing portion 119 with the pair of the claw portion 124 of the of the signal line crimper 122.
As a result, a tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 has a crack W. Consequently, it is not possible to make the tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 finer. Accordingly, it is not possible to downsize the pressing terminal 112, resulting in enlarging dimensions of the electrical connector as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the electrical connector as a whole.
Further, as the signal line is attached at the signal line pressing portion 119 in the pressing tool insertion opening portion 115, the claw portion 124 is not allowed to have a thick wall portion due to both of the sidewall portions 115a of the pressing tool insertion opening portion 115. When a tip portion of the claw portion 124 is fine, the tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 has the crack W.
Consequently, it is difficult to make the tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 finer. As a result, it is difficult to downsize the pressing terminal 112, resulting in enlarging dimensions of the electrical connector as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the electrical connector as a whole.
Furthermore, the signal line crimper 122 has a plate-like shape. Therefore, the tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 has the crack W since the signal line crimper 122 does not have sufficient strength. Therefore, it is difficult to make the tip portion of the signal line crimper 122 finer. As a result, it is difficult to downsize the pressing terminal 112, resulting in enlarging dimensions of the electrical connector as a whole. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the electrical connector as a whole.
In addition, in the conventional terminal pressing device in Patent Reference, the signal wire crimper is inserted into the terminal insertion room from the opening portion of the terminal insertion room, and the signal line anvil is inserted into the terminal insertion room from the anvil insertion opening portion, respectively, and further, the wire barrel of the pressing terminal in the terminal insertion room is sandwiched with the signal wire crimper and the signal line anvil.
Further, the pressing terminal is pressed and attached to the shield wire by swaging the wire barrel. In the pressing terminal in which the outer conductive member holds the inner conductive member in the shield outer tube via the dielectric member, it is not arranged such that the signal line crimper presses and attaches the signal line of the shield wire by swaging the pressing piece of the signal line pressing portion together with the signal line anvil in the pressing tool insertion opening portion.
In order to solve the above-described problems, a first object of the present invention is to provide a pressing terminal capable of downsizing, and eventually capable of downsizing an electrical connector as a whole, which includes the pressing terminal.
A second object of the invention is to provide a terminal pressing device capable of downsizing the pressing terminal and eventually capable of downsizing the electrical connector including the pressing terminal as a whole.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.